Filling the Sink

Flamboyant drinks and clandestine bars, Barcelona’s cocktail scene has stepped up its game, overthrowing London and New York at the World's 50 Best Bars ranking.  Filling the Sink is celebrating its 100th episode with cocktails! Alejandra Angulo Alonso is joined by Catalan News journalists Cillian Shields and Gerard Escaich Folch to talk about the hottest creative bars in Barcelona that made it to the World's 50 Best Bars ranking, celebrated this month for the first time in the Catalan capital instead of London.  Join us as we visit the bars featured in the top ten of the list for 2022: Paradiso, first place, Sips in third spot, and Two Schmucks, at number seven. We hear from Gianluca Basso, Paradiso’s manager; Marc Alvarez, Sips’s co-owner; and Pom Modeste, Two Schmucks’ manager.  We also have a little surprise at the end of the podcast to mark our 100th show! Cheers! 

Almost a decade of collaboration among the main pro-independence parties ended on October 7 when members of Junts per Catalunya voted to exit the coalition. After years of inspiring huge mobilizations, how did the independence movement get here, and what comes next?  Alejandra Angulo Alonso is joined by Catalan News editor Guifré Jordan to talk about the new single-party government in Catalonia formed by the left-wing, pro-independence Esquerra Republicana, governing solo with support from just 33 seats of the total 135 in the Catalan parliament.   We also hear from Doctor of political science at UAB, Ernesto Pascual, on the future challenges of Aragonès’s administration as well as a report from our correspondent Cillian Shields about the slow divorce between the main Catalan pro-independence parties during this term.  This week's Catalan phrase is ‘Embolica que fa fort’ which means “things are getting even more difficult.”

As Europe faces an uncertain winter amid the energy crisis provoked by the war in Ukraine, Catalan, Spanish and German officials are looking at the MidCat project, an unfinished pipeline that would bring gas from Africa to Europe via Catalonia, as a potential solution to ease the continent's dependency on Russian imports. Alejandra Angulo Alonso is joined by Cillian Shields and Gerard Escaich Folch to talk about this ambitious billion-euro pipeline project that faces political and social challenges before it can be completed. We also hear from Joan Puerta, vice president of Catalonia's Engineers Association's energy committee, and Carol Coll, activist from the environmental group Plataforma Resposta al MidCat. This week's Catalan phrase is ‘a mig gas’, which means “not giving 100% of your efforts to reach a goal.”

October 1, 2017 was a day like no other in Catalonia. An independence referendum took palace despite Spain's ban and its police cracking down on voters. How did events unfold and how much of a game changer was the vote for the independence movement and for Catalan politics?   Alejandra Angulo Alonso is joined by Guifré Jordan to talk about 2017 Catalonia's referendum on independence from Spain and its impact five years later, including the movement currently finding itself in limbo. Two experts on political science join the discussion: Toni Rodon, assistant professor at Barcelona’s Universitat Pompeu Fabra and fellow at the London School of Economics in London; and Dani Cetrà, post-doctoral researcher at the University of Barcelona and former research fellow at the University of Edinburgh. We also hear reports from Cillian Shields: a timeline of the day, and word from all parties in the current parliament, both for and against independence, on what they thought off the vote and what it means in today's political context.    This week's Catalan phrase is ‘Això va a missa’ which means “this decision is final.”

Known as “the Barcelona patient”, a 75 year-old-woman who has been off antiretrovirals for 15 years made headlines worldwide this summer when her case was presented at the 24th International AIDS Conference in Montreal, Canada. Alejandra Angulo Alonso is joined by Cristina Tomàs White and Gerard Escaich Folch to talk about the extraordinary Barcelona patient as well as HIV research in Catalonia. We also speak with Dr. Josep Mallolas, the head of Hospital Clínic’s HIV-AIDS unit and a member of the research team behind this unique case that could eventually lead to a functional cure for others too. This week's Catalan phrase is ‘No tirar la tovallola’, which means “Not giving up.”

Heavy rain and occasional drought are a common feature of Mediterranean weather, but the picture is looking quite worrying in 2022, with water levels in reservoirs at 37 percent, according to the Catalan Water Agency, and consistently dropping over the past months.  Alejandra Angulo Alonso is joined by Guifré Jordan and Cillian Shields to discuss the widespread impacts of the drought in Catalonia. We visit Sant Romà de Sau, where an 11th-century church, usually hidden by the Sau reservoir, has emerged from the water, attracting tourists and curious locals. We also speak with Àngel Font, a former resident of the old village now reappearing above the water. This week's Catalan phrase is actually a tongue twister – ‘Plou poc, però pel poc que plou, plou prou’, which means, “It rains little, but for the little bit that it rains, it rains enough.”

Teachers and students are back in school again with significant changes compared to last year, after a recent wave of strikes, protests, and heated debates within the education sector. Alejandra Angulo Alonso is joined by Cristina Tomàs White and Gerard Escaich Folch to discuss the new changes and take a look at the future challenges of the Catalan education system. We visit a local school and speak with teachers and parents about what’s new this academic year.  This week's Catalan phrase is ‘Tenir més paciència que un mestre d'escola’, which means ‘To be more patient than a school teacher’

The story of Cava spans generations of winemakers, but today the territory's most exported sparkling wine is facing new challenges. Alejandra Angulo Alonso is joined by Cristina Tomàs White and Gerard Escaich Folch to discuss the history of cava, the differences between this and other sparkling wines, as well as the impact of climate change and supply chain disruptions during the 2022 harvest season. Join us as we visit Codorníu, the oldest winery in Catalonia located in the Penedès region, south of Barcelona. We hear from cava experts about their passion for sparkling wines and new sustainable production methods. Cheers! This week's Catalan phrase is 'Cap de suro', it translates to "cork head", but it actually means ignorant!   

The scheme's ultimate goal is to cut poverty. How’s Catalonia going to do it? Alejandra Angulo Alonso is joined by Cristina Tomàs White to discuss Catalonia’s Universal Basic Income pilot project, an ambitious social experiment that will give people an unconditional monthly payment, starting from January 2023 to December 2024. We also hear from social scientist, Bru Laín, on the specifics of Catalonia’s scheme, while professor Jurgen De Wispelaere from the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga give us an overview of other countries' experiences developing UBI trials.  This week's Catalan phrase is ‘Pagant, Sant Pere canta’ which means everything is possible with money.  

Whether you’re new to Catalonia or a local about to move abroad, tune in for some advice and funny stories on coping with culture shock. Alejandra Angulo Alonso, Cillian Shields, and Gerard Escaich Folch ask tourists what has been their biggest culture shock so far and a psychology professor from the University of Barcelona explains the difficulties of being in unfamiliar environments. This week's Catalan phrase is ‘Allà on vagis, fes el que vegis fer allí’. A close contender in English would be “When in Rome do as the Romans do.”